Countdown
by mirakanon
Summary: Sasaki Tomoshi is a High School dropout and Hikikomori, at the age of 17 he is living alone in his apartment. He spends countless hours on his computer playing MMORPG's particularly Sword World Online. However his life changes when a mysterious girl, who claims to know him appears. The girl also knows about the mysterious Countdown site that counts down over and over.


"I did it!" I yelled, it echoed throughout the tiny apartment.

"I finally got every legendary item in the game!" I began to laugh hysterically over the microphone.

"Wa ha ha," I sounded like some cartoon show villain.

"Dude, you need to chill bro, I mean it's a big deal yeah, but in the end it's only a game." Katsu said.

Katsu was a female in game, but in real life… A guy, I remember I had once fallen for her… his charms, and the next thing I knew she… he had stolen all my items. After that incident the two of us became good partners in the world of "Sword World Online" or SWO, a hugely popular MMORPG.  
On top of that I have been playing for around two years now, and became one of the most look up to and awesome players online.

My nickname "Dark heart," I called myself that of course, but the name is now almost famous. Not only that but I had just finished collecting every single legendary item in game, in other words I rule the game.

It's like I am the king now.

"Wa ha ha," I laughed again at my own thoughts.

"Jezz, earth to Dark… Sakaki come in?" Katsu said, she… He was one of the few people that knew my real name, but we have never met before in real life.

Sakaki… such an average name for average person, but I am anything but average. I am the legendary hero "Dark Heart" how can I have such a huge disappointment of a name in real life?

"So… am I awesome?" I asked Katsu who was sheathing her… his, daggers in game.

"Yeah, you're awesome alright, but you really get too carried away with things sometimes…" Katsu seemed generally worried about me, she… He often would express concern to my lifestyle and even asked me to meet her… him, on more than one occasion.

"I've told you, I live on my own. I never leave home, I have no need to. Everything I need is always here." I tried to reassure her… him I was fine.

"Eighteen years old living on your own, never leaving your house, sounds a little weird to me." She… He said.

"Let them call me weird, I'm doing what I want to do, isn't that the important thing?" This argument was getting us nowhere, if it keeps up Katsu will leave and stuff again.

"Look, bro I am just trying to look out for you, I am older then you after all. What about girlfriends, you got one of those yet?" She… He asked.

"Girlfriend… Why the hell would I need one of those? I got enough anime and visual novels to tire me over." I gave my monitor a grin, though I knew Katsu could never see it, it felt good to listen to her... him rant on about anime and real girls.

"Sigh… Well in any case, don't go overboard, I know you think you're some hero, but that's all just a fantasy." It kind of hurt hearing words like this from Katsu, so I kept quiet.

I am "Dark Heart" SWO's hero and savior, how can this lowly thief girl… guy tell me to not be a hero. I just became king, no god of SWO, the only person to have 100 percent completion of the game.

Then Katsu tells me to "Get a life," as if, SWO is my life, how could I just throw it all away.

I heard a beeping coming from my headset, Katsu had left the call.

"Ahh, who needs her," I said her, even though I know he is a guy. For a long time after I met her… him, she… he kept saying she… he was a girl, so it became natural to me to call her… him as a girl.

I leaned back on my chair, put my hands on my head, and began stretching. I had been going more than 24 hours to get that item, that's what made it hard to get, 24 plus hours of constant grinding.

Never again, well at least I don't have to worry about doing it again. I thought to myself.

I was exhausted, and hungry, and I'm pretty sure I needed a piss. I began making my way around the room, toilet first then food… I opened the fridge, empty. I had no idea how to cook so I would usually go out and buy food, like instant noodles and canned food, but I had nothing at all.

"Sigh… Guess I need to head out." I said to the fridge.

I looked at the time, 10:24pm, very late, but shop stayed open all night in town so it wasn't much of a problem.

My regular shopping time is always like this and never on a certain day. There was one problem however… I hated having to leave my apartment.

This made trips to the shopping center seem like a nightmare.

I went over the rules in my head.

Rule 1, make yourself as small as possible, in an almost cowering position so no one that takes notice of you.

Rule 2, don't bring attention to yourself, this goes with rule 1, making you seem like less of a threat to anyone.

Rule 3, study the land, there are two ways to get to the grocery store, first was to catch the train to town, however though it's quicker it's always crowded. Second walking to the store, it wasn't as far as most places, and there are not as many people around, but the people that did hang around were not friendlies. These people would harass anyone that annoyed them, but I knew ways around them so this option seemed more reasonable then the train option.

Rule 4, be as fast as possible, the key to succeeding this game was to be as quick as possible, make little contact with people, don't draw attention to yourself and make yourself as small as possible.

Will all these rules I have made it safely to and from anywhere without making contact with people and drawing attention to myself.

So far so good, I smiled at the feats I accomplished.

I had bought a few things that should last me at least a week. It was a pain to carry it all but this was the cost of living alone, and being me.

A normal person would have called a taxi, or took the train, but I wasn't a normal person.

No I was the god of "Elesia" the world in SWO.

If only I was Dark Heart in real life, I would crush those delinquents before they knew what hit them.

"Heh…" My mind was wandering again.

I tried to focus on the task at hand.

Getting home, it wasn't that much further now.

The skies are cloudy, and the wind began to pick up a little. It wasn't long till a few drops of rain began to splash down.

I moved faster, the cool spring breeze blew against my face hitting me with a number of drops.

"Huh?" I noticed something at the corner of my eye.

I stopped. I knew I was breaking one of my rules.

Dark shadows, or liquid. I wondered what the blackish stuff was spilled on the cement.

Perhaps paint, maybe a car went by and paint fell off? I asked myself.

Whatever it was, it wasn't important to me.

I turned to walk around it.

"W-what," my vision focused on the dark shadow that seemed to be slumped over on the wall.

A dark human shaped figure with more of the dark pool of liquid around on the ground and walls.

A strong wet rusted metal smell drifted through my nose, I had heard of things like this happening. Someone was here, dying, or… dead.

No, that can't be it.

A living human being can't just die here like this, there had to be a person. Someone did this to this person.

"Uguh," a hot burning sensation in my throat, I was going to throw up.

I struggled to keep the gastric juices inside me, partly due to me not eating I never did throw up.

I want to leave, I want to run… I want to get as far away from here as possible.

But what if this person is still alive? That thought played in my mind.

I decided to get a closer look, even if they alive, the chances of living through this, are slim. So just having a look then running away wouldn't do any harm.

I leaned in. I had no light source of any kind so it made it difficult to see.

It was a young woman, possibly a high school student.

Her blonde hair was stained with dark crimson, along with her face. Her shirt was cut in various places, each one reviled blood and flesh.

The gastric juices built up again and I could no longer contain them.

I rushed away, throwing up on the footpath next to a bin.

I didn't want to stay here any longer. This was something way off my rules, but I should call the police.

As if, there was no way I could do that. They would most likely suspect me of murder, but I didn't do it.

The last thing I want to do is talk to people, someone else will find the corpse, let them deal with it.

Besides, what if that was what the killer wants. Right now he could be watching me. He could be calling the police, right now.

That thought made me leap away, almost in a run. I left the crime scene.

I was certain that someone had murdered her, and the killer could still be around. They were waiting for someone like me. The creepy guy that never leaves his house, it would almost make sense to pin it on me.

Well I won't make it that easy… then I remembered.

I just threw up at the crime scene.

I was already two blocks away and basically at the front of my house.

I just stood there.

The police would take me away for sure now.

They would lock me away.

Tears built up in my eyes and began to overflow. A stream ran down my cheek and chin.

I was done for. Someone like me would just die from shock.

I locked the door behind me. I stuffed the store bought stuff into the fridge.

Someone was watching me, who?

Was it the killer, or the police? Perhaps someone watched me as I did all my stupid actions day in day out.

"Ugh, w-why m-me" I asked.

There was no one to reply.

Beep!

"Ahh" I yelled.

The loud beeping alerted me that Katsu was online.

"Hey, sorry bout before…" I could hear Katsu's voice from the headset.

"Hey you there dark, hmm this is a first." Katsu was talking playfully.

I put the headset on afraid from looking away from the dark areas of my room.

"Katsu, y-you have t-to help me." I said my voice was still shaking.

"Huh, whoa, calm down dude. Tell me what happened?" Katsu asked.

I explained exactly what I saw.

"Dude… That's just messed up," He said "you sure that happened?"

"O-of course I a-am sure," I yelled.

"Sounds like just another fantasy, and since when were you such a wimp. Old Dark Heart was always the first to take charge, and investigate a crime." Katsu began laughing.

"Hey, this is real," I said.

"Look, dude maybe your just really tired, I mean I have some crazy ass nightmares after all-nighters." Katsu was totally ignoring the fact that it was real and not a fantasy.

But was it real?

Did I go to the store?

I began to wonder, what if it was all a dream, a hallucination.

I was there, I was tired, but I was there.

"Look, just sleep on it okay." Katsu said.

Katsu seemed so carefree at a time like this, but what I had seen. I couldn't get the image out of my mind, how was I meant to sleep.

"Katsu…" I began to say, but I began to feel heavy.

My body suddenly wouldn't support itself. The weight of everything came crashing down.

Floating… this place… is empty… am I a part of emptiness?

I tried to move, no use.

"He he he…" Someone is laughing.

Who is it?

Someone is over there…

"You…"

Me?

What did I do?

"Save me"

What?

"You… didn't"

I didn't what?

"You didn't save me!"

"Ahh" I yelled.

I jerked around, daylight.

Had I been sleeping?

I had fallen out for my computer chair, my headset dangled next to me.

I got to my feet placing my headset back up on the desk.

"Was all that a nightmare… which parts?" I asked myself.

I got to my feet and looked in the fridge.

A single bag of supplies, the same from last night that means it wasn't a dream.

"Katsu" I yelled at my computer, as if it would reply to me.

I sat at my desk and checked the chat room.

It was empty, how long had I been sleeping. I checked the clock, 2:34pm the next day.

The death of someone should be important news right, so I began checking the TV.

Nothing at all, the computer might know.

I loaded up internet searching typing in something like "young woman murdered" no hits from my town.

Maybe, Katsu was right.

Maybe she never was there, I was just so exhausted, my mind made things up.

It should be here on the net, but there was nothing.

I decided to try a local city forum.

I started a topic titled "Young woman dead" then wrote out the description.

"Last night a young woman with blonde hair, and who appeared to be in her late teens, possibly a high school student, died from what seemed like murder, over on "Third St" If anyone has any information, please reply"

I kept it short, and then waited for a reply. It didn't take long.

"Someone died? When did this happen? :O" the first one read.

"I live on "Third St," I never heard nothing about no murder, sounds like you are just trying to start something." The second read.

"Wouldn't something like that be on the news? :P" the third read.

"Maybe this is that girl who said she saw a ghost the other week, people like you should just stop this and go die!" The last was obviously a troll.

But my curiosity peeked in and decided to look up the ghost.

The topic had been closed and flamed at by many people, most of the messages said either "fuck off, kill yourself" or "as if you are a liar."

Two messages stood out from the rest, the first was from the creator who since had her original message deleted.

"Nothing all around me, she's crying out for help." The first message, the message seemed familiar.

"You want to know the truth?" The second message was out of place of the other messages, and written by Anonymous.

The curious thing about it was link contained in the word "truth," I hesitated to click it.

What if this was the killer?

But wait did the murder even happen?

Everyone doesn't even know of a murder, could it be possible that no one had seen the body yet?

I gritted my teeth and clicked the link, the page showed a countdown, with only 10 minutes remaining.

I guess that is convenient.

RING!

My doorbell almost never goes off, who the hell is looking for me?

"Hello?" Someone called from my door.

She sounded young, and was obviously a girl, what could this person want?

I hesitated but she kept knocking.

I opened the door revealing a high school girl with long black hair.

"You finally opened." The girl said then barged into the room.

"W-wait!" I called, she sat at the end of my bed.

She gave me a strange stare, she had green eyes. I noticed she was taking her shoes off.

"Uhh, who are you?" I asked.

"Sasaki, did you hit your head or something?" She asked me.

She walked over and placed her palm on my forehead.

"No fever." She said.

I noticed her chest was only inches away from my face, they were decent size as well.

Who is this person? Why was she doing this? Why is she being… Nice?

"Are you going to answer me?" I asked.

She gave me a frown.

"Are you honestly that forgetful?" She asked me. She moved away towards my computer and looked at the countdown which was now at 5 minutes.

"H-hey, don't touch that." I forced out.

"So you know about this countdown too?" She said, her face changed from happy to sad.

"I-I only just found it, d-do you know what it is counting down to?" I asked, I had no idea who she was, but she seemed to know about the countdown site. If she knows what it is, then maybe I can figure out what is going on.

"There is a rumor going around school, about this site." She said. "People have been saying that when the countdown finishes, one person who was watching it will get a wish granted, but somewhere someone will pay a price for that wish getting granted."

This sounds so farfetched, besides that why would she just happen to come along right when I am looking at this site, right when all this crazy stuff is happening. Also just who the hell is she?

"Okay, so who are you?" I asked again.

"… Ayuki." She said softly.

Ayuki, why has she just burst in my apartment like this, what does she want?

"Sasaki, have you really forgotten who I am?" She asked.

Have we ever met? She does seem familiar, but who is she?

1 minute left on the countdown.


End file.
